


Behind the Mask

by WorryinglyInnocent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, F/M, Masked ball, Masquerade, NSFW, PWP, Rumbelle - Freeform, Smut, one-night stand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 03:27:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19862749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent
Summary: Belle wakes up after a masquerade ball, remembering the wonderful time she had the previous night and wondering at the true identity of her bed partner. She’s pleasantly surprised.Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: “woke up in bed together”.





	Behind the Mask

_There was a lot of champagne last night. Belle remembers knocking back glass after glass of it to try and stop her nerves and give herself the confidence to speak to people at the ball. Of course, all it served to do was make her giggly as the bubbles went straight to her head._

_She opens her eyes and looks at the ceiling and the ornate mouldings there, and more of the evening from before and after the champagne begins to come back to her._

X

Belle adjusted the mask on her face and checked her appearance in her compact one last time. This was certainly the fanciest and most elite party she had ever been to, and she still couldn’t believe her luck in landing an invitation. It had been Jefferson’s invite originally, but when Grace had got sick, he’d called in a favour and repaid one to Belle at the same time, getting his name on the guest list changed to hers. The annual masquerade ball, hosted by Boston’s publishing powerhouses, was always the talk of the town, and most people would kill to get an invite. Belle was certainly excited to be going, but at the same time she couldn’t help feeling ridiculously out of place. After all, she was just a small-town librarian. Sure, she could talk about books with these bigwigs, but that was about it. Talking about big business and profit margins would be beyond her, and she wondered how long it would take her to be outed as a fraud. Not that she was a fraud; her name was on the guest list, after all. Still, she was definitely a Cinderella amongst princesses here.

Finally, she left the taxi and made her way up the steps of the Grand Palace Hotel, where the ball had been held every year for as long as anyone could remember. She gave Jefferson’s invitation to the doorman, and he quirked an eyebrow at her before checking the guest list at the concierge booth and letting her past into the ballroom with a polite nod. God, she already felt that she didn’t belong. Bow-tied waiters with champagne drifted past and Belle grabbed a glass, almost draining it in one go. If only Jefferson had been able to come with her, or at least give her some tips on whom she could safely approach to talk to. Not that it was such an easy feat when everyone was wearing masks. She exchanged her empty champagne flute for a full one and began to meander around the room. Jefferson had only left her with one hint – if you’re lost, find Gold.

Mr Gold, of no first name, was Jefferson’s business partner, and for all Belle had heard about him from her friend – and for all she’d heard him yelling in the background occasionally when Jefferson called her from work, she’d never met the man and had no idea what he looked like. She scanned the sea of masks around her, glad of her own anonymity and the leisure of watching people without it looking obvious that she was hopelessly lost in this high society. She knew that Gold was older than Jefferson by about a decade, but that didn’t help her much. Still, she might as well enjoy herself. If she couldn’t find Gold, she could at least find the buffet table and soak up some of this champagne.

X

_Belle sits up a little, aware of the pleasant ache between her thighs, and she smiles at the memory of last night and the heady pleasures she found in spite of her nerves. She can always blame the champagne; but looking at the pool of blue silk on the floor that is her discarded dress and underwear, and the tuxedo carelessly tossed next to it, she feels no regret at all about this one-night stand._

X

The food was fantastic. Belle would probably have been happy to stay here scoffing canapes all evening if it hadn’t been for the trio of catty women a little way off who were looking at her with disdain behind their masks and remarking in stage whispers how unfortunate it was that her date appeared to be with the buffet instead of with a man. Belle felt her face flame, but in a champagne-fuelled display of defiance, she looked pointedly at the ladies and took a huge bite of smoked salmon before moving away. She really wanted some of the dainty little chocolate cakes at the other end of the table, but they’d have to wait until the buffet police moved on. Just because they were on diets of compressed protein mush and flavoured air…

She heard a soft laugh behind her and realised she’d spoken aloud. Belle cringed, before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. She had just as much right to be there as anyone else, and she turned to see whom she had amused.

The man was small and slim, not towering over her like so many of them did. Brown hair, a little on the long side, with a smattering of grey in it. His face was hidden behind a gold mask with a subtle glitter to it that suggested lizard scales, but he had dark brown eyes behind it, crinkled at the corners with laughter. His tuxedo was impeccably fitted, and he leaned on an elegant gold-handled cane. Belle could tell from the way his weight was set that it was for necessity, rather than show.

“I quite agree with you,” he said. “The food is there to be eaten and enjoyed. It’ll only go to waste otherwise.”

Belle smiled. “I’m glad you agree.”

The man extended a hand. “I’m Aiden.”

“Belle.”

There was something about the idea of a masquerade that made it easy to accept an alliance on such limited information. Even though most of these people probably knew each other, the masks leant everything an air of mystery, of strangers meeting for illicit rendezvous. The façade of anonymity was alluring, almost sensual in a way.

“Would you care to dance?” Aiden asked, indicating the couples twirling around to the sound of the string quartet. Belle glanced down at his cane, but she figured that he wouldn’t have made the offer if he physically couldn’t do it, and she took his hand.

“I’d love to.”

He was surprisingly agile and light on his feet; there were no dips or spins like the other couples, but Belle still enjoyed herself immensely, and by the time the tune came to an end, she did not regret coming to the ball at all. She no longer felt out of place.

X

_Belle turns over and looks at Aiden’s sleeping form, stretched out on his back with the covers tangled at his hips, and she runs a finger down his lightly tanned chest. His hand catches hers before she reaches his navel, and he brings it to his lips._

_“Good morning,” he says, voice sleepy and husky and still full of sex. “I hope you slept well.”_

_“I’d have slept better if you hadn’t kept me up all night, but all things considered, I really can’t fault you for that.”_

X

Belle knew that under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t dream of kissing a man in a mask whom she’d only just met. All she knew about him was that his name was Aiden and that he worked in publishing. Oh, and he was a brilliant kisser and she’d give everything she had to feel that tongue between her legs. She didn’t even try to push that thought to the back of her mind or scold herself for thinking something so inappropriate. The masquerade gave her confidence – the champagne probably helped – and she was more than happy to go wherever the evening led.

When Aiden suggested moving from the darkened corridor outside the ballroom to his hotel room upstairs, Belle agreed enthusiastically.

The silent moment of pause as he dimmed the lights and dropped a condom from his wallet onto the pillow was heavy with anticipation, and there was an intense hunger in the pit of Belle’s stomach as she kissed him in the soft light from the nightstand, wrestling with his jacket and bow tie and the buttons of his shirt. He made to untie his mask, but Belle reached up to stop him.

“No. Leave it on.”

“It might get in the way a little.”

“I know. Just leave it on a while longer.” The air of mystery, of not being able to see his whole face, heightened the erotic thrill of the situation. She turned her back, looking coyly over her shoulder.

“Unzip me?”

Aiden was happy to oblige, and her dress fell in a jewel-like heap at her feet, leaving her in just sheer lace panties. Aiden slipped his hands around her waist, kissing her neck. The rough texture of his mask scraped her cheek, sending a jolt of pleasure down her spine. She twisted in his arms to kiss him fully on the mouth, and that ignited the spark inside, stoking it back into full flame. They pulled the rest of each other’s clothes off in a frenzy, until they were naked except for the elaborate masks. It was a moment of truth after all the masquerade and artifice, and Belle felt much more exposed as she unfastened the ribbon and bobby pins holding the mask in place.

Aiden’s face certainly didn’t disappoint now that she could see it in entirety; he was just as handsome as her glimpses indicated that he would be, and if the way his eyes were roaming over her body was anything to go by, then he felt the same way about her. Emboldened by the sight of his twitching cock and his obvious interest in her, Belle took the lead, beckoning him over to the bed and laying back against the covers. Aiden followed her, sinking eagerly down into her arms to kiss her again, covering every inch of her skin, mapping her with his mouth. When he reached her mound and kept going, Belle gasped, her thighs falling open for him readily. He was confident and generous with his tongue, licking long stripes along her folds and circling her clit. She’d definitely fallen on her feet with this one. He’d been an excellent conversation partner, a brilliant kisser, and now… God, was there anything his mouth couldn’t do?

Her breath came in sharp pants as he worked her closer and closer to her climax, and she groaned as the dam broke, pleasure spiralling through her. His smug little smile as he crawled back up the bed was thoroughly deserved, but Belle still wanted to wipe it away and replace it was uncontrolled abandon. Once movement returned to her limbs, she pushed him over onto his back, straddling his hips and rubbing her hot centre up against his cock, quickly bringing him back to full hardness.

“Now it’s your turn,” she purred, before grabbing the condom and rolling it onto him. His hips bucked up into her touch, eager for more, and Belle smirked as she lined them up and sank down onto his cock, bracing her weight against his shoulders as she began to move. Aiden’s hands came down to grab her ass, providing more leverage for him to thrust up to meet her. It was a hard, fast rhythm, echoing the electric feelings that had been passing between them all evening.

Belle closed her eyes as she felt a finger rub at her clit, bringing her back to the edge and quickly tumbling over it. Aiden followed her just a moment later, his hips stilling and his fingers digging into her ass cheek. Belle raised herself on shaking knees to let him slip out of her, and she collapsed down beside him, panting and damp with sweat, but so wonderfully satisfied. Oh yes, this unexpected boldness had definitely paid off.

X

_Aiden tips her onto her back and kisses her again, but before they can go any further, there’s an urgent, if muffled, ringtone from their pile of clothes. He sighs._

_“I’d better take that.”_

_Belle just stretches out, watching him as he limps over to his discarded tux jacket and admiring the view of his backside._

_“Aiden Gold, Mad Hatter Publishing.”_

_Belle’s blood freezes and she claps her hands over her mouth. Jefferson had told her to find Gold if she needed someone to talk to. She found him all right, and then she spent most of the night shagging him senseless. Her best friend’s business partner._

_It’s all Jefferson’s fault, she tells herself. If he’d just told her Gold’s first name instead of maintaining that it was ‘mister’ then she’d never have had this problem. Would she? Would the bounds of propriety and professionalism have stopped her having (absolutely mind-blowing) sex with him? After all, he’s Jefferson’s business associate, not hers, and Jefferson’s been trying to find Belle a special someone for a while now._

_Before she can think on it any further, Aiden finishes his call and turns back to her._

_“Sorry about that, he begins, then she sees her shocked expression. “Are you all right?”_

_Belle nods, shakes her head, and nods again._

_“Aiden Gold,” she squeaks._

_“Yes…”_

_“Mad Hatter Publishing.”_

_“Yes…”_

_“Jefferson Milliner.”_

_“He’s my business partner, yes…”_

_“Right.”_

_“Belle? Is something wrong?”_

_“I’m Jefferson’s friend, Belle French, Grace’s godmother.”_

_Aiden has a similar reaction to the recognition of her true identity as she had to his._

_“Oh,” he says. “Oh. So, where do we go from here?”_

_Belle thinks about it for a minute, remembering the wonderful night they spent together. She just doesn’t regret it, even now she knows Aiden’s full identity._

_“Well, you could start by getting back into bed and finishing kissing me into oblivion like you were about to do before that untimely interruption. Maybe then we could get some breakfast. Exchange numbers. And maybe, one day, we’ll laugh about how we met.”_

_“Jefferson will indeed find it hilarious,” Aiden agrees, slipping back into bed beside her._

_Yes, Belle thinks, as Aiden kisses her again and she surrenders wholeheartedly. Jefferson would certainly approve._


End file.
